Lawnboy wrote:Just last night I cleaned and oiled my 1960's era window fan to get ready for the summer season. It requires oil periodically, and I have always used standard car motor oil with it without problems. It has phosphor bronze/steel bearings. Here in the States we have "3-in-1 Household Oil" that is a bit lighter and also works well.
I have a 1925 factory fan from the old Chrysler factory in Indianapolis. It has the same bearings, but only much larger! i only oil the motor at the beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn. My family has done this for many years, doesn't make a single noise other than the wind blowing. I use three to four drops of used filtered motor oil, that is of course filtered before being put on the motor, not filtered before being put in the engine of the car. Every five years i use 15 drops of fresh motor oil, which i put in over a 5 day period, to clean out the dirt and grime built up from regular use. It is a complex, carefully planned process, but it keeps the fan running for over 18 hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty days a year, for ninety two years, and still sounds brand new. I use the same method for smaller motors, but of course "scaled down" for the motor being maintained.You could use a simpler process for the reel to reel motor, but use fresh motor oil if the motor is completely locked up, such as Steve's machine. Other than that, i suggest using the process that i described, but you can simplify it and scale it down to your needs. Afterwards, the motor should run without flaws.